1. Autar Kaw Benjamin Rigsby
Gauss-Siedel Method
Autar Kaw
Benjamin Rigsby
Transforming Numerical Methods Education for STEM Undergraduates

2. Gauss-Siedel Method

3. Objectives 1. solve a set of equations using the Gauss-Seidel method,
2. recognize the advantages and pitfalls of the Gauss-Seidel method, and
3. determine under what conditions the Gauss-Seidel method always converges.

4. Gauss-Seidel Method Basic Procedure:
An iterative method.
Basic Procedure:
Algebraically solve each linear equation for xi
Assume an initial guess solution array
Solve for each xi and repeat
Use absolute relative approximate error after each iteration to check if error is within a pre-specified tolerance.

5. Gauss-Seidel Method Why?
The Gauss-Seidel Method allows the user to control round-off error.
Elimination methods such as Gaussian Elimination and LU Decomposition are prone to prone to round-off error.
Also: If the physics of the problem are understood, a close initial guess can be made, decreasing the number of iterations needed.

6. Gauss-Seidel Method Algorithm If: the diagonal elements are non-zero
A set of n equations and n unknowns:
If: the diagonal elements are non-zero
Rewrite each equation solving for the corresponding unknown
ex:
First equation, solve for x1
Second equation, solve for x2

7. Gauss-Seidel Method Algorithm Rewriting each equation From Equation 1
From equation n-1
From equation n

8. Gauss-Seidel Method
Algorithm
General Form of each equation

9. Gauss-Seidel Method Algorithm How or where can this equation be used?
General Form for any row ‘i’
How or where can this equation be used?

10. Gauss-Seidel Method Solve for the unknowns
Assume an initial guess for [X]
Use rewritten equations to solve for each value of xi.
Important: Remember to use the most recent value of xi. Which means to apply values calculated to the calculations remaining in the current iteration.

11. Calculate the Absolute Relative Approximate Error
Gauss-Seidel Method
Calculate the Absolute Relative Approximate Error
So when has the answer been found?
The iterations are stopped when the absolute relative approximate error is less than a prespecified tolerance for all unknowns.

12. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 1
The upward velocity of a rocket is given at three different times
Table 1 Velocity vs. Time data.
Time,
Velocity 5
106.8 8
177.2 12
279.2
The velocity data is approximated by a polynomial as:

13. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 1 (cont.)
Using a Matrix template of the form
The system of equations becomes
Initial Guess: Assume an initial guess of

14. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 1 (cont.)
Rewriting each equation

15. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 1 (cont.)
Applying the initial guess and solving for ai
Initial Guess
When solving for a2, how many of the initial guess values were used?

16. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 1 (cont.)
Finding the absolute relative approximate error
At the end of the first iteration
The maximum absolute relative approximate error is %

17. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 1 (cont.)
Iteration #2
Using
the values of ai are found:
from iteration #1

18. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 1 (cont.)
Finding the absolute relative approximate error
At the end of the second iteration
The maximum absolute relative approximate error is %

19. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 1 (cont.)
Repeating more iterations, the following values are obtained
Iteration a1 a2 a3 1 2 3 4 5 6
3.6720
12.056
47.182
193.33
800.53
3322.6
72.767
69.543
74.447
75.595
75.850
75.906
−7.8510
−54.882
−255.51
−1093.4
−4577.2
−19049
125.47
85.695
78.521
76.632
76.112
75.972
−155.36
−798.34
−3448.9
−14440
−60072
−249580
103.22
80.540
76.852
76.116
75.963
75.931
Notice – The relative errors are not decreasing at any significant rate
Also, the solution is not converging to the true solution of

20. Gauss-Seidel Method: Pitfall
What went wrong?
Even though done correctly, the answer is not converging to the correct answer
This example illustrates a pitfall of the Gauss-Siedel method: not all systems of equations will converge.
Is there a fix?
One class of system of equations always converges: One with a diagonally dominant coefficient matrix.
Diagonally dominant: [A] in [A] [X] = [C] is diagonally dominant if:
for all ‘i’ and
for at least one ‘i’

21. Gauss-Seidel Method: Pitfall
Diagonally dominant: The coefficient on the diagonal must be at least equal to the sum of the other coefficients in that row and at least one row with a diagonal coefficient greater than the sum of the other coefficients in that row.
Which coefficient matrix is diagonally dominant?
Most physical systems do result in simultaneous linear equations that have diagonally dominant coefficient matrices.

22. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 2
Given the system of equations
The coefficient matrix is:
With an initial guess of
Will the solution converge using the Gauss-Siedel method?

23. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 2 (cont.)
Checking if the coefficient matrix is diagonally dominant
The inequalities are all true and at least one row is strictly greater than:
Therefore: The solution should converge using the Gauss-Siedel Method

24. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 2 (cont.)
Rewriting each equation
With an initial guess of

25. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 2 (cont.)
The absolute relative approximate error
The maximum absolute relative error after the first iteration is 100%

26. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 2 (cont.)
After Iteration #1
Substituting the x values into the equations
After Iteration #2

27. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 2 (cont.)
Iteration #2 absolute relative approximate error
The maximum absolute relative error after the first iteration is %
This is much larger than the maximum absolute relative error obtained in iteration #1. Is this a problem?

28. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 2 (cont.)
Repeating more iterations, the following values are obtained
Iteration a1 a2 a3 1 2 3 4 5 6
100.00
240.61
80.236
21.546
4.5391
4.9000
3.7153
3.1644
3.0281
3.0034
3.0001
31.889
17.408
4.4996
3.0923
3.8118
3.9708
3.9971
4.0001
67.662
18.876
4.0042
The solution obtained is close to the exact solution of

29. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 3
Given the system of equations
Rewriting the equations
With an initial guess of

30. Gauss-Seidel Method: Example 3 (cont.)
Conducting six iterations, the following values are obtained
Iteration a1 A2 a3 1 2 3 4 5 6
21.000
−196.15
−1995.0
−20149
2.0364×105
−2.0579×105
95.238
110.71
109.83
109.90
109.89
14.421
−116.02
1204.6
−12140
1.2272×105
100.00
94.453
112.43
109.63
109.92
50.680
−462.30
4718.1
−47636
4.8144×105
−4.8653×106
98.027
110.96
109.80
The values are not converging.
Does this mean that the Gauss-Seidel method cannot be used?

31. Gauss-Seidel Method The Gauss-Seidel Method can still be used
The coefficient matrix is not diagonally dominant
But this is the same set of equations used in example #2, which did converge.
If a system of linear equations is not diagonally dominant, check to see if rearranging the equations can form a diagonally dominant matrix.

32. Gauss-Seidel Method
Not every system of equations can be rearranged to have a diagonally dominant coefficient matrix.
Observe the set of equations
Which equation(s) prevents this set of equation from having a diagonally dominant coefficient matrix?

33. Gauss-Seidel Method Summary Advantages of the Gauss-Seidel Method
Algorithm for the Gauss-Seidel Method
Pitfalls of the Gauss-Seidel Method

34. Gauss-Seidel Method
Questions?

35. Additional Resources
For all resources on this topic such as digital audiovisual lectures, primers, textbook chapters, multiple-choice tests, worksheets in MATLAB, MATHEMATICA, MathCad and MAPLE, blogs, related physical problems, please visit

36. THE END